The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1887-07-30
THE FORESTER.
Forestry IH ohio.


The growing of forest trees and the pres
ervation and extension of existing wood
land is q. subject of wide consideration
among the people OF Ohio. 1t is claimed
III that State that their springs are failing,
their streams becoming more irregular in
their flow, their winds becoming more and
more destructive, floods more common
and droughts more frequent, more severe,
and more protracted.
While the annual average rainfall is
about the same as II was twenty-five wears
ago, the distribution is less even. 1t is
often found too wet and equally often too
dry TO attain a fair measure of success III
farming. Just what effect trees have upon
climate is not clearly understood. History
shows, however, that in every country
where the proportion of land devoted TO
forests IS less than e-quarter of the
whole area, there the climate is less
genial and more trying to cultivate crops.
In Ohio, at the present time, less than
seventeen per cent. of the total area is de-
voted to the growth of timber, and the
work of destruction still goes on.
The experiment station In Ohio does not
urge the planting of trees for the vague
and not well understood climate effect they
may produce. 1t urges tree planting for
profit, and believes under many conditions
the labor expended than any other crop.
Trees may be planted for three distinct and
special purposes, namely: For timber, for
shelter and protection, and for ornament.
For the first purpose much rough and
rugged land, all Tavines and steep hill
sides, in short, every acre that IS not cult
waited, or is cultivated at loss, should be
reclothed and devoted to the most valuable
varieties of timber trees. For the second
purpose, protecting belts of trees should be
established wherever buildings, orchards,
ana gardens are exposed to cold, sweeping
winds. Viewed in the light of economy
alone, such tree planting should not be
neglected. The banks of streams, ponds
and open bitches may often be planted with
trees that will be protected from washing
by floods and rapid currents.
For ornamental purposes, all public
roads should be belted with rows of stately,
graceful trees, while our lawns, school
yards, public parks, and the like should
not be forgotten. Probably there is not
farm in the State, the value of which
would not be greatly increased by the
judicious planting of some trees, even for
ornamentation. A place beauttied by fine
shade trees will always sell for price that
more than repays all the cost of planting
and caring for these simple agents of
ornamentation.
In order to preserve, improve, and ex-
tend our existing forests, which should be
made valuable for timber, first, constant
succession of young growing trees of the
best varieties should be kept up. To do
this it is necessary to allow no stock to
run in woodlands for purpose of forage.
The little food they secure is no compen-
sation for the fine young trees annually
destroyed, a loss that it requires wears to
repair. Second, greater precautions should
be taken against fire. The best means of
protection IS to have nothing IN the woods
but green, vigorous growing timber.
Forest fires are mainly supported and
spread by means of dead material. How
ever expensive, all debris should be re-
moved from small plantations, and if this
is done there is but little more danger of a
fire in forest than in o field of growing
corn.
Wood lots should be thinned moderately
and iudiciOusly. Trees should stand close
together in order to force an upward
growth. All worthless varieties should be
removed at once. The valuable sorts may
he encouraged to grow tall by trimming off
the lower branches when they begin to
overcrowd. Cut out the supertiuous speci-
mems. Cut them in early spring and the
stems will throw up new shoots which will
grow with great rapidIty and be valuable
for garden stakes, hoop poles, and the like.